Gloabl solar power projects developer SolarReserve has secured environmental clearance from the Chilean government to develop a new 450MW solar facility in the country’s Tarapacá region.

The approval was given after the Chilean Impact Assessment System (Sistema de Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental – SEIA) conducted a comprehensive environmental assessment on the Tamarugal Solar Project.

SolarReserve will build the facility, which will feature three 150MW solar thermal towers, each with 13 hours of full load energy storage, using its proprietary solar thermal energy storage technology.

Once completed, the facility will have a total of 5.8GW-hours of energy storage capacity and will be able to provide 450MW of power, resulting in over 2,600GW-hours of generated output annually.

The planned project will also operate at a capacity factor and availability percentage equal to that of a coal fired power plant.

“The Tamarugal project will help stabilize and lower electricity costs for Chilean families and businesses, while ensuring energy security for the country.”

The company also stated it will be bidding energy and associated capacity, from the Tamarugal and other Chilean projects, in the upcoming international public auction for 24-hour energy supply issued annually by Chile’s power distribution companies.

Furthermore, SolarReserve will partner with various stakeholders and local communities to ensure minimal environmental impact during the development of the Tamarugal Solar Project.